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Five weeks after Dalton McGuinty’s resignation speech, Ontarians still have no inkling who — or what — will replace him as premier.

By late January, when Liberal delegates choose a new leader, the who will finally be decided. But the what could remain a mystery long after the convention is over.

That’s because most leadership campaigns lapse into beauty contests and power plays: Candidates showcase their personalities and play the winnability card — the two keys to holding power.

Policies? Not so much.

For all the talk of renewal, the what remains an afterthought. The first thought from candidates is always to listen earnestly to the grassroots in coffee klatches. And to infuse the party with idealism — ideas still to come.

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By week’s end, the deadline will have passed for the rivals to sign up new party members. So now is a good time to start thinking beyond sales to substance.

Here are six delicate questions for the six declared candidates who want to lead the Liberals (and the rest of us) next year:

1. With unemployment hovering at 8.3 per cent, what’s your concrete plan to not just create but keep well-paying jobs? Cutting corporate taxes or gallivanting around the globe to woo foreign investors may attract new jobs for a while. But Ontario’s bigger challenge is to preserve existing jobs in a high-dollar climate. Productivity improvements and enhanced innovation haven’t taken root despite decades of trying, so how exactly would you do better?

2. Should motorists pay for driving on congested roadways? Politicians from all parties gripe about gridlock — then get stuck in their own political gridlock over solutions: Road tolls, congestion charges, parking fees and other measures to raise revenues while rationing access to scarce roadways are the inevitable long-term solutions. Will Liberals continue to play footsie over gridlock?

3. Can you make future pensions a present-day priority? Retirement security is a sleeper issue. Ontario pays lip service to the idea of an enhanced Canada Pension Plan that picks up the slack — cost-effectively — at a time of economic uncertainty and employment mobility. How would you get Ottawa and the other provinces on board, and by how much would you increase paltry CPP payments?

4. Do you have the political stamina to tackle welfare reform? A landmark report on welfare reform landed on the premier’s desk last month — and it awaits you. Co-authored by former NDP cabinet minister Frances Lankin, it calls for untangling the bureaucratic disincentives that leave people trapped in poverty. This may not be a vote winner, but will you carry the baton?

5. As a rookie premier, will you stay green? Energy policy keeps changing its colours in Ontario as the three parties take turns politicizing power generation. Will you sort out a confused policy of boosting costly wind turbines, which are not merely unpopular in rural areas but out of sync with peak demand in the big cities? Will you keep promoting privately-held gas-fired plants, which have become boondoggles, while freezing out the publicly-owned OPG utility? What about the unfinished business of replacing or refurbishing Ontario’s aging fleet of nuclear reactors?

6. How do you persuade people to back you, while you’re cutting back on what you give them? Restraint and reformation of government marked McGuinty’s last and toughest year in power. Given that Ontario’s debt is approaching $300 billion, and its deficit hovers around $14 billion, any second thoughts on the target of a balanced budget by 2017-18? What about McGuinty’s tough tactics with labour? Everyone prefers negotiating to legislating, but given that his pleas for a voluntary freeze since 2010 fell short, what would you have done differently (besides being nicer)?

Time’s up. Good luck with the answers.

Traditionally, politicians prefer the soft sell when seeking support, holding back the tough stuff until they win a majority. Levelling with Liberal delegates in advance will take more guts.

Kicking the can down the road probably won’t work anymore: The can of worms is already open, and it’s messy.

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